Pipe bending apparatus



2 snets-sneet 1 Filed Oct. 20, 1952 INVENTOR.

JAM'S a. 5CROF7 BY 79': ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1954 J. o. BECROFT 2,697,469

' PIPE BENDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

JA/WS 0. Qt CROFT ATTORNEY United States Patent PIPE BENDING APPARATUS James 0. Becroft, Wallingford, Conn.

Application October 20, 1952, Serial No. 315,651

Claims. (Cl. 153-32) This invention relates to pipe bending apparatus and more particularly to a portable device for rapidly and efiiciently bending pipes of large diameter commonly used in laying natural gas pipe lines.

In the laying of cross-country pipe lines for gas and oil, it has been customary in the past to prepare at a factory the desired bent sections of the pipe, which then had to be transported and welded in the field to the adjoining sections.

By means of the present invention, the above and other disadvantages have been avoided, and a pipe bending apparatus has been produced which will permit the bending of the pipe sections to be done at the point where said sections are to be laid in the ground.

One object of the invention is to provide a pipe bending apparatus which will permit variations in the curvature of the bend of the pipe sections to be made without requiring templates or other tools.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, readily portable, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efiicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of a truck upon which the improved pipe bending apparatus may be installed, and showing a cross-section of a gas pipe in bending position.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the apparatus, showing a pipe section, one end of which has been bent into a curved shape.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the pipe bending apparatus on a reduced scale, showing the rear portion of the truck body upon which said apparatus is carried.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts through the several views, the numeral 10 indicates a body of a truck T having rear wheels 11, and a lower frame 12.

In order to supply power for bending the pipe section P which is carried by the truck T, provision is made of a power winch 13 mounted on a horizontal axis at the forward part of said truck. The power winch 13 is connected to the bending apparatus by a cable 14 secured by a pair of cross arms 15a to a pair of A-frames 15, and passes over a guide pipe 16, between a pair of horizontal guide pulleys 17, and around a vertical guide pulley 18 mounted upon a boom 19 by means of a bracket 18a.

Provision is also made at the top of the boom 19, of a guide pulley 20 mounted in a guide bracket 20a. A block and tackle mechanism is also provided having a pair of lower and upper sheaves 21, 22. The upper sheave 22 is adapted to be connected by a link 24 to an eye 26 fixed to the top of the boom 19, while the lower sheave 21 is connected by a link 23 to an eye cap which is adapted to be located over the free end of the pipe P which is to be bent.

An eye 27 fixed to the other side of the top of said boom is connected by an inclined chain 23 to an eye cap 29 fitted over the fixed end of the pipe P.

In order to permit the bending apparatus to be adjusted on the truck 10 to any desired height above the ground, provision is made of a raising lever 30 which is connected by a pivot pin 31a to a hydraulic jack 31, car- 2,697,469 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 ried on an arm 31b secured to a thrust bearing swivel block 33a located near the rear of the truck body 10. The lever 30 is pivotally secured at its forward end to a bracket 19a on an intermediate portion of the boom 19.

Provision is also made of a pair of weights 32 secured to the forward part of the raising lever 30 to counterbalance the weight of the boom 19. The lever 30 is fulcrumed on a vertical post 33 which is swingable on the swivel block 33a to permit the boom 19 and bend ing apparatus to be swung to either side of the truck T.

At the lower end of the boom 19, provision is made of a bending shoe 34, including a U-shaped housing 35, within which are a pair of vertical end coil springs 36 and 37. Between these springs and below the same are a plurality of segments 38, which are connected together in articulated fashion by a plurality of ears 40 and pivot rods 41. Underneath the segments 38 provision is made of a curved semi-circular socket 42 within which the intermediate portion of the pipe section P is adapted to rest during the bending operation.

Operation In the use of the bending apparatus herein disclosed, a pipe section P Will first be placed with its intermediate portion in the curved socket 42. The rear portion of the pipe will then be seated within the pipe cap 29 connected by the chain 28 to the top of the boom 19.

Power will then be applied to the winch 13, causing the cable 14 acting through the block and tackle mechanism upon the sheaves 21, 22 to pull the cap 25 upwardly and etfect the proper curve or bend in the free end of the pipe P, by cold working. During this operation the resilient bending shoe 34 will prevent buckling or twisting of the intermediate portion of the pipe section, where most of the bending occurs.

While there has been disclosed in this specification, one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a portable pipe bending apparatus, a truck, a guiding cross-arm supported in an elevated position upon said truck, a vertical post rotatably supported on said truck and spaced rearwardly from said cross-arm, a raising lever fulcruined on said post, a boom pivotally connected to the rear of said raising lever, a bending shoe rigidly secured to the lower end of said boom and having a segmental pipe-engaging section, a power winch on said truck in front of said cross-arm, a chain connecting one end of the pipe section to the top of said boom, a block and tackle connecting the other end of said pipe to the top of said boom, cable means passing over said guiding cross-arm to connect said winch to said block and tackle for exerting an upward bending force upon the free end of said pipe section, means on said cross-arm to guide said cable a pulley connected to the intermediate and top portions of said boom for operating said block and tackle, a jack to lift the rear portion of said raising lever to adiust the lower end of the boom and clamping shoe to the location of said pipe, and means to swing said boom to any adjusted angular position.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which weights are provided on the forward end of said lever to counterbalance the weight of said boom.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which a pair of inverted V-shaped frames are provided on the opposite endsC of said cross-arm supporting the same upon said truc 4. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which a guide pipe is provided on the center of said cross-arm to facilitate the movement of the cable from said winch to the boom.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which guide pulleys are provided on the top part of said post and the top and middle of said boom, for conducting the cab}: from said winch to -the sheaves of -said block and tac e.

6. In a portable pipe bending apparatus, a truck body, a-vertical-post located;at the rear:of said-body:and having araising lever-pivoted thereto, an upstanding boom pivotally;connected 'between its ends to the rear end of said "raising .lever, a bending shoe secured to the lower endof said boom for; supporting aportion ofa'thin walled pipe ,to-be bent, a :chainfor connecting the fixed end of said pipe;to the top ofsaid boom, a:cable supported on said truck and connected to the free end of said pipe, said cable passing over apair-of pulleys mounted on intermediate 'and top portions of saidboom respectively for bending the freeend of said pipe around said shoe angl power meanson said truck body for driving said ca e.

7. The :invention as defined in .claim 6, in which said power-meansis a;powe1v driven winch.

power means is a power driven winch and in which said cable is-connected at its-forwardend to saidwinch and passes over a horizontal guiding cross arm supported at an elevated position upon said truck body.

9. The invention as defined in claim 6, in which a jack is mounted on said truck to lift the rear portion of said raising lever to adjust the lower end of said boom and the bending shoe to the location of the pipe to be bent.

10. The invention as defined in claim 6, in which provision is made of means toswing said boom to any desired angular position with respect to said truck.

ReferenceszCited'in thefile of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 

